Need Help--I Think I Have A Disaster In The Making
Decorating By Pebbles1727 Updated 2 Oct 2010 , 3:20am by carmijok
Hi Everyone,
desperate for help this evening, cake is due in the morning. I have 4 layer chocolate cake with raspberry filling--done this many times, never had this happened before. It looks like the top 3 layers are sliding off the bottom one so I have a lean to the cake. This cake is traveling about an hour away in customer's car, so I'm really worried that it may slide all the way. Will it? If I dowel it, will it hold? I'm not sure I can take it apart, the cake is pretty soft. ANY advise? What should I do?
Between a 6 year old, 4 week old colicky baby and husband out of town, I cannot think straight--I must have been smoking something when I agreed to make this thing, arghhhhhhhhhhhh.
HELP!!
How tall is each layer?
Too much filling????????? Strong, buttercream or whipped ganache dam??????
If all else fails, I'd take it apart, put the top 2 layers on a board like a separate cake, put dowels in the bottom 2 layers, then ice as one cake.
HTH
Rae
This cake is traveling about an hour away in customer's car, so I'm really worried that it may slide all the way. Will it? If I dowel it, will it hold? I'm not sure I can take it apart, the cake is pretty soft. ANY advise? What should I do?
My advice... you'll need to take it apart and fix it. If it's sliding now, it might not make it from your door to the customer's car.
It sounds like you used too much filling. Since the cake is soft, you might want to chill it first, then separate the layers to remove some of the filling, reassemble it, and use a center dowel or skewers to help prevent it from sliding again.
I think it's too much filling, even though I thought I put same as usual. I don't have stuff to make ganache, so you all think if I stick some dowels in it, it should hold for an hour car ride? It has a damn on it and crusting buttercream for now.
Dowels support from bottom to top, so "sticking dowels in it" without having the top half on a board with dowels under it, isn't going to stop anything from sliding side to side.
AFTER taking it apart, putting the top half on a board, putting dowels in the bottom to support the top, and re-icing it, then you can insert one, or better, two full length dowels to inhibit side to side shift during transport.
Rae
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! New cakes are in the oven, this one totally fell apart now--it is a true disaster 
Zombie new mom is going to be going for 24 hours on no sleep, and it's not all my 4 week olds fault. Wonder if I can do cake balls out of this thing, it's chocolate with raspberry filling and choco buttercream, what do ya think?
Wonder if I can do cake balls out of this thing, it's chocolate with raspberry filling and choco buttercream, what do ya think?
Sounds delish.
You could probably mix it all together very well and wind up with a chocolate raspberry fudge cake filling, too 
Rae
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! New cakes are in the oven, this one totally fell apart now--it is a true disaster
Zombie new mom is going to be going for 24 hours on no sleep, and it's not all my 4 week olds fault. Wonder if I can do cake balls out of this thing, it's chocolate with raspberry filling and choco buttercream, what do ya think?
Cake balls it is! I have had plenty of disasters-they are my kids favorites as I make and freeze cake balls out of all of them. The filling and buttercream sound good to me, I know how those late nights can be, I have 4 kids myself and would be making cakes when I had 3 of them under the age of 3, loads of work. Take a breath, that is a lot of stress. Good luck!
I would put a center dowel through all the layers and put it in the refrigerator. I might even use 2 or 3 depending on how big the cake is. I always put a dowel in...even for a 2 layer...just because I don't want any sliding or leaning. And so far (knock wood) I never have.
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